12 August is International Youth Day (IYD) the theme for 2025 is Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond, highlighting the unique role of youth in translating global ambitions into community-driven realities. 

Scroll to see how youth across the region are once again urging CARICOM policymakers to take decisive action so that every child can learn and thrive in a healthy food environment.

Dear Honourable Heads of Government and State of CARICOM, The President and the Board of Directors of the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) note with disappointment the distinct absence of any mention of non-communicable disease (NCDs) and the upcoming 4th United Nations High-Level Meeting on NCDs and Mental Health (HLM4) in the Communique of the Forty-Ninth Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). The HLM4 will be held on September 25th, 2025 in New York during the 80th Meeting of the UN General Assembly under the theme “Equity and Integration: Transforming Lives and Livelihoods through Leadership and Action on Noncommunicable Diseases and the Promotion of Mental Health and Well-being.” In HCCs Open Letter, we recalled the historical legacy of CARICOM leadership, engagement and participation in previous UN HLMs on NCDs, and called on CARICOM Leaders to deliver on five (5) key civil society asks:

In HCCs Open Letter, we recalled the historical legacy of CARICOM leadership, engagement and participation in previous UN HLMs on NCDs, and called on CARICOM Leaders to deliver on five (5) key civil society asks:

1. Commit to continued leadership on NCD prevention and control and commit to attendance at the 4th UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs and Mental Health (HLM4) on September 25th, 2025 in the official Communiqué emerging from the Forty-Ninth Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
2. Support the twelve Caribbean civil-society led advocacy priorities for inclusion in the official Communiqué from the Forty-Ninth Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community and in the HLM4 Political Declaration.
3. Support one or more CARICOM Heads of Government or State to have a lead role in at least one of the multi-stakeholder panels at the HLM4.
4. Support the hosting of a high-level side-event on the margins of the HLM4 led by CARICOM Heads of Government and State as was done in past UN HLMs on NCDs.
5. Endorse the inclusion of a representative from a Civil Society Organisation (CSO) representing people living with NCDs and a youth representative in country delegations to the HLM4 in recognition of the whole-of-society response to NCDs.

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On Wednesday 30 July 2025, the Healthy Caribbean Coalition, in partnership with the Pan American Health Organisation, convened a virtual Caribbean Regional Stakeholder Meeting in support of the 4th UN High-Level Meeting (HLM4) on Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) including Mental Health. This timely discussion also marked the 18th anniversary of the landmark 2007 Port of Spain Declaration on NCDs. With over 200 participants from civil society, government, regional institutions, and global partners, the webinar fostered rich dialogue around the Caribbean’s progress in tackling NCDs, and the urgent need for renewed leadership and bold action to meet 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

The webinar covered the following objectives:

• Reflect on progress on NCDs in the Caribbean since the 2007 Port of Spain Declaration, including key achievements, challenges, and lessons learned.
• Explore NCD priorities and strategies needed within CARICOM to accelerate meaningful action on NCDs – actions which prevent new NCDs and improve the lives of people living with NCDs in lead up to and beyond the HLM4.

In February 2024, the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) and Healthy Caribbean Youth (HCY), in collaboration with partners across the region, convened more than 50 youth from 13 CARICOM countries for the first-ever Caribbean Youth Voices in Health Advocacy Spaces – Healthy Food Policy Action meeting. 

From this landmark gathering emerged a unified commitment: to advocate for healthier school food environments by prioritizing the implementation, enforcement, and monitoring of strong school nutrition policies.

Since then, youth have been mobilizing across the Caribbean — creating spaces for civil society, local leaders, and young people to engage in meaningful dialogue and action through the Hope for the Future movement. Activities held in the latter half of 2024 and into 2025 have amplified this call, ensuring it remains a regional priority.

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This International Youth Day, youth across the region are once again urging CARICOM policymakers to take decisive action so that every child can learn and thrive in a healthy food environment.

Hope For the Future 2025 Spotlight:

Jamaica Hope for the Future 2.0  

Barbados Hope for the Future 2.0

Members of the HALT team attending Hope for the Future 2.0  

featuring HCY Member and President of HALT, Karissa Moss (3rd from right) 

and HCC Board Member, Dr. Christine Chin (2nd from left)

Government of The Bahamas: The Ministry of Health and Wellness and its partners are working to create healthier school food environments for students across the country. In this vein, the 'Hope for the Future 2.0' Youth Forum was held, which gave young people a platform to join the discussion with policymakers about the types of foods they put into their bodies.

The forum held on Thursday, July 24, 2025 attracted scores of young people who assembled in the New Providence Ballroom at Baha Mar Resort on Cable Beach. It marked the second iteration of 'Hope for the Future,' a regional initiative that continues to unfold across the Caribbean and the Americas. The initiative, started by the Healthy Caribbean Coalition, seeks to empower youth and civil society organizations to lead the call for healthier school food environments and comprehensive school nutrition policies. It also aims to foster direct engagement between young people and policymakers, with a view to strengthening the development and implementation of policies at the national level for regional impact.

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Youth Advocate Kayla Wright delivered a powerful testimonial during the Caribbean Regional Stakeholder Meeting on the 4th UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs and Mental Health.

Read her op-ed featured in the Jamaica Gleaner  'Food companies can’t shy away from responsibility of raising healthy children'

Djata Massiah and Khrystal Walcott pictured with the Prime Minister of Barbados Hon. Mia Mottley

On July 31st 2025, youth advocates Khrystal Walcott and Djata Massiah took their message into the heart of the community at the Ideas Forum in Saint Phillip, Barbados. The youth advocates called for stronger enforcement of the School Nutrition Policy and for legislation to ban the marketing/advertising of junk food in schools. This complements the advocates ongoing efforts including their sensitisation of students across schools in Barbados about the value of the School Nutrition Policy.

In celebration of International Youth Day, HSFB Youth Advocates are inviting persons in Barbados to get moving for better health. From 8–12 August 2025, participants can join the “Step Up!” five-day challenge, track their steps, and help raise awareness about heart health in Barbados. The initiative encourages youth to boost fitness and mental well-being, compete for fun prizes, and take a stand in the fight against heart disease and stroke.

On August 7th, HCY, in collaboration with the BCNF, hosted a World Breastfeeding Week discussion, “Prioritizing Breastfeeding: Policy to Practice.” The session featured a panel of regional experts who examined the importance of breastfeeding, the impact of digital marketing on breastfeeding and child development, and practical solutions to overcome implementation barriers in the Caribbean.The event attracted close to 180 registrants, with over 80 participants joining live and actively contributing through questions and comments in the chat.

Related Media:

PAHO: On World Breastfeeding Week, countries urged to invest in health systems and support breastfeeding mothers

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Sagicor: Hosted by Dr. Kenneth Connell, President of the HCC and Deputy Dean of Recruitment and Outreach at the UWI Faculty of Medicine, The Wellness Effect is a video podcast series designed to educate our communities about the dangers of NCDs. It will show the impact on not just their physical but their financial wellbeing. The series is a partnership between Sagicor, the Healthy Caribbean Coalition and the UWI Faculty of Medicine.

World Obesity HLM4 Toolkit: The campaign has both short and medium term objectives. In the short-term we are looking to influence the outcomes of the High Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases in September 2025. In the medium-long term, the campaign will then run across the subsequent two-years aiming to build momentum towards HLM on UHC in 2027.

We need to shine the spotlight on obesity as the defining global health equity crisis of the 21st century. Obesity currently affects over 1 billion people and, without action, we will leave half the world behind - 4 billion people will be affected by overweight and obesity by 2035. Obesity is a universal and urgent issue, but remains politically neglected - misunderstood as personal failure rather than structural injustice. We need urgent collective action from policymakers, healthcare providers, media and the public.

Analysis by authors working in the UN system saw a continual weakening of the previous political declaration on NCDs (2018) in relation to both the nature of commitments and the specificity of interventions. The authors blamed industry influence on the process for the weakening of the political declaration. The current third draft of the 2025 political declaration provides stronger language related to action that is people centred and approaches that are based on human rights—both critical to an effective response to obesity. However, we remain concerned about the draft’s failure to recognise obesity as a chronic disease, which drives other NCDs, and to reflect key interventions and approaches that have been recommended by the World Health Organization.

Analysis by authors working in the UN system saw a continual weakening of the previous political declaration on NCDs (2018) in relation to both the nature of commitments and the specificity of interventions. The authors blamed industry influence on the process for the weakening of the political declaration. The current third draft of the 2025 political declaration provides stronger language related to action that is people centred and approaches that are based on human rights—both critical to an effective response to obesity. However, we remain concerned about the draft’s failure to recognise obesity as a chronic disease, which drives other NCDs, and to reflect key interventions and approaches that have been recommended by the World Health Organization.